Sandra Hazlehurst
Sandra Hazlehurst | |
|---|---|
 Hazlehurst in 2023 | |
| 22nd Mayor of Hastings | |
| In office 24 November 2017 – 17 October 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Lawrence Yule |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Schollum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sandra Glenis Brannigan 1959 (age 66–67) Hastings, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Mark Hazlehurst (m. 1984) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Hastings Girls' High School |
Sandra Glenis Hazlehurst ONZM (née Brannigan; born 1959) is a New Zealand politician. She served as the mayor of Hastings from November 2017 until October 2025, and was the first woman to hold the position.
Early life and family
[edit]Hazlehurst was born in Hastings in 1959, the daughter of Velma Ada Brannigan (née Warren) and John Brannigan, a carpenter and later baker.[1][2][3] She was educated at Ebbett Park School, Heretaunga Intermediate, and Hastings Girls' High School.[1][3] Growing up, she was actively involved in Girlguiding, and in 1977 she earned the Queen's Guide award.[3]
After her overseas experience, Brannigan returned to New Zealand in 1983, and married Mark Hazlehurst the following year.[3] The couple went on to have two daughters.[3]
In 1986, Hazlehurst and her sister bought a fruit and vegetable shop in central Hastings. She later established Central Building Surveyors with her husband.[1][3]
Political career
[edit]Before being elected to the Hastings District Council in 2010, Hazlehurst served as the chair of the Hastings City Business Association for four years.[4] She was elected mayor on 24 November 2017, following the 2017 by-election held after her predecessor, Lawrence Yule, resigned to contest the Tukituki electorate at the 2017 general election. She became the first female mayor of the district.[5]
Hazlehurst served as the mayor of Hastings during the recovery period following Cyclone Gabrielle, where she played a role in overseeing infrastructure rebuilding efforts and addressing housing concerns, including buy-outs.[6]
Under Hazlehurst's council, the Hastings District saw a 77% decline in the number of people in emergency housing between March 2022 and September 2023.[7]
A public disagreement surfaced between Hazlehurst and senior councillor Damon Harvey in late 2023, after Harvey acknowledged the existence of a document related to the council's handling of consenting issues. As a result, Harvey was later removed from his committee chair position by Hazlehurst.[8]
In the 2026 New Year Honours, Hazlehust was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to local government.[9]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst has a passion for Hastings". Hawke's Bay Today. 17 February 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ↑ "Brannigan, Velma Ada death notice 2020". Hawke's Bay Today. 2 March 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2024 – via Knowledge Bank.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "My journey – Sandra Hazlehurst". Hawke's Bay Digital Archives Trust. 11 September 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ↑ "Mayor & councillors – Sandra Hazlehurst". Hastings District Council. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ↑ "Hazlehurst 'incredibly proud' to be district's first female Mayor". Dominion Post. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ "Cyclone Gabrielle: Hawke's Bay residents slam red zone home buyouts as 'insulting'". Newshub. 4 August 2023. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ Crimp, Lauren (15 November 2023). "Hastings council strategy cuts number in emergency housing by 77 percent". RNZ News. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ Sharpe, Marty (30 November 2023). "Councillor who acknowledged existence of secret document stripped of chair position". Stuff. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ↑ "New Year 2026 Honours: The full list of knights, dames, honourees". The New Zealand Herald. 31 December 2025. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
- 1959 births
- Living people
- People from Hastings, New Zealand
- People educated at Hastings Girls' High School
- New Zealand businesswomen
- Mayors of Hastings, New Zealand
- Women mayors of places in New Zealand
- New Zealand businesspeople
- 21st-century mayors of places in New Zealand
- 21st-century New Zealand women politicians
- Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit